


Falling Deeper In Love With You

by tragicallywicked



Series: Jasper & Alice Verses [17]
Category: Twilight (Movies), Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, F/M, Figure Skaters AU, Human AU, Ice Skating, World Figure Skating Championships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-06
Updated: 2020-11-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:16:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27415618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tragicallywicked/pseuds/tragicallywicked
Summary: Living a life surrounded by ice, Alice and Jasper find in each other what they so long ached for in the rink.
Relationships: Alice Cullen/Jasper Hale
Series: Jasper & Alice Verses [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1921054
Comments: 6
Kudos: 15





	Falling Deeper In Love With You

**Author's Note:**

> I absolutely love figure skating and this idea has been in my head for weeks now! This story I'm dedicating Allice (big sister whom I adore), Miriam (the wife, always) and Rae (my favorite dancer). But special shoutout to Allice who betaed this at 5 in the morning when I was on a writing spree and gave me her input.
> 
> Yes, this is largely based on my love for Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir's performances, but obviously not their real lives! This also has some references from the show Spinning Out which I love, but it's not a crossover lol.
> 
> Also, I'm sorry summary is crap, I'm bad at them. Promise the story is better...

“Again!” The short-haired brunette shouted as she lifted from the ice, stumbling on her skates with defying drive. The blonde standing by her, hands on his hips, sighed in sheer discontent.

“This is insane, Alice. You’re going to get yourself hurt. Or me in the process.”

“Don’t be a pussy, Jasper. Just catch me.” She skated away, taking a deep breath as she swirled around to face him.

“If you make it to me, it would be a lot easier.”

This shouldn’t be so hard, Alice told herself. She had to land on the triple axel, skate backward with him, then jump on cue so they could twirl with her in his arms. She was landing wrong on her axel and falling on the floor in a position that was hard for Jasper to actually land his own jump _and_ catch her. He _always_ caught her when she stumbled through any steps or landed wrong, but this angling didn’t favor his always willing drive to aid her. Instead, it got them both feeling defeated.

“If Esme was here she’d be vile.” He reminded her of their trainer who had allowed them to practice alone that night, as long as they didn’t injure themselves which, by the looks of it, was something Alice was more than willing to allow to happen.

“Well, she’s not. Come on.” Alice didn’t allow Jasper to think, she skated toward him and made him do the same.

They met halfway, did a turn, then skated backwards, getting the speed they needed, side by side, in synchrony to jump. He landed on the axel just quick enough to catch her falling this time. It didn’t stop Alice from grumpily complaining and wanting to go at it again.

“No, I’m done. And so are you.” He shook his head firmly and skated off the rink, making his dance partner roll her eyes.

“Jazz. Come on.”

“Alice, you’re tired as hell. Let’s not get hurt because I’m really looking forward to competing this year and we’re a month away.” He snatched the blade protectors and quickly hooked them to his shakes. She floated toward him, standing at the entrance of the rink but still inside it.

“I don’t want to go home just yet.”

“Well, I don’t want to watch you fall on axels because you’re exhausted.” Jasper snapped, which was rare nowadays.

In the beginning, they had a really troublesome upcoming. Alice had another dance partner, James, that dropped out and Jasper was the best dancer and the logical choice. But Alice and him hadn’t got along all that well. Mostly because of James not liking Jasper, as Alice grew to learn in the past six years they had been skating together. Their bickering and the constant teasing and snappy comments all faded without James around to incite it all. Alice learned, in fact, that she got along with Jasper way better than she did with James.

They made a real bond out of dancing, always together the two were like magnets. Everyone speculated they were, in fact, _together_. But Alice had always preferred to leave work separate from her personal relationships—not that she had many, practicing twelve hours a day. Everywhere one was you could expect to find the other, in and out the rink.

Alice and Jasper woke up in the morning and met for coffee and a run, they made their way to the rink after that, where they trained for entire days—only to go on lunch and snack breaks together. At night they sometimes got a bite at the restaurant down the street and Jasper always drove or walked Alice home, depending on how their plans rolled. The only thing that was keeping them from being a couple was living in separate houses—well, and the fact they had only exchanged a few kisses here and there.

None had been serious. A thrilling kiss at the end of a performance, an excited peck at the end of a good rehearsal. None that they had sat down to talk about, even though both cherished those kisses more than they cared to admit.

“Dance with me then,” Alice told him, seeing the defeat in his eyes. “I don’t want to go home just yet… Let’s do last year’s routine.” Her pleading eyes were enough to convince him.

“I’ll go put the song.” She beamed, skating away to the center.

Since Jasper was outside the rink already, he plugged the phone into the music box. Their song from the previous competition sounded in the loudspeakers of the empty rink, the beating involving the ambient.

Jasper removed the blade protectors and slid on the ice toward her. The beat involved them as he picked up on the right step. They had danced _Like I’m Gonna Lose You_ by John Legend and Meghan Trainor for an entire year. It was one of their best routines and the amount of dedication they had put into it, was no surprise when they took home the award from the presentation—it was not the Olympics, but sure felt amazing to win it.

The fact they could fall back in those steps with such ease was terrific, swaying and skating next to each other. Alice’s short hair floating around as Jasper lifted and spun her around, his arm firmly around her as he landed her care on the floor. The way their bodies moved in perfect sync at each dance step, how both could pour their hearts into the _acting_ part of the performance, it was a beautiful spectacle.

As the final strings rolled, both breathless in the center of the rink, they stood there still, foreheads pressed together and eyes tightly shut as the next song in the playlist began playing.

None made any effort to move, Jasper’s hand resting securely on her lower back and their bodies pressed together to the sweet melody of Ed Sheeran.

Alice broke their silence with a small sigh that made Jasper open his eyes.

“How about some freestyle?” He suggested, just _Thinking Out Loud_ picked up a few seconds into the song. Upon her nod, Jasper pulled her with him.

They skated the rink with no routine, just the magnetic motion of their bodies dancing together. He’d lift her from time to time, or swirl her around, spin her sometimes even. They skated so close all the way through it. Alice’s hand constantly landing on his chest or arm wrapped around his neck, while Jasper always had her securely against his body, the small figure that Alice was constantly pressed to his torso.

It was always graceful to watch their routines, but this was sublime. The true connection they shared pouring into the unrehearsed movements, a type of dancing that was so hard to find especially in their category. Of course, there was nothing technical, no jumps, and no marks, just them spinning and skating against each other.

They halted slowly after the song was over, both sweatier than before. This time their eyes were really stuck on each other, the tension so strong it was palpable.

Breathless, Alice licked her lips, unable to stop her lips from curving up. “That felt great, Jazz.”

“It really did.” His hands were still on her and for some reason, Alice also didn’t want him to move away. Not just yet.

“You just needed to unwind a little.”

“Thank you.” She breathed lightly, happier.

“Do you want to try the axel again?” He frowned when Alice was so prompt to shake her head.

“No, this is a great way to end the night.” Deep down, in her unadmitted feelings, she wished there would be more to it. Alice reminded herself that they worked together, and this wasn’t proper. “Tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow then.”

* * *

Bright and early Jasper joined Alice for coffee and unlike the last time they had skated until later, this time both felt there was some sort of uneasiness hung in the air—to which both proceeded to ignore like all else that could cross the path of their friendship and work boundaries.

Jasper had got home and hopped on the shower the night before, sweaty and stinking, but the scent lingering on his skin, even after he washed off the remains of their practice, was of her. Her delicate touch against his chest, her body pressed to his, all lightening up fires he had long ago decided to push aside.

For the longest time, he had a crush on Alice, even before they danced together. A sentiment that quickly transformed into bickering thanks to James—her previous dance partner, who constantly made ways to put the two against each other. It was little things like Jasper taking up too much space in the rink, or getting special treatment because his sister was a choreographer for the team—which he did not get because Rosalie took no shit from anyone, even her twin brother.

When James stepped out of the picture and Jasper was considered as her partner, he wasn’t all that thrilled, considering all the history, but that changed once they began dancing together. There was a magnetism to them, the connection they shared in the rink was unusually superb.

Jasper always loved skating, he never minded the pressure for him to do hockey instead or the insinuations that it was not a masculine sport—to some not even a sport at all—but more than just loving to skate, he loved to skate _with Alice_. She was graceful, resilient, extremely creative. Overall there couldn’t have been a better match.

Those feelings he had kept for her resurfaced in the first few years of their partnership, but for the sake of work and their sanity, Jasper did his best to repress them.

He was so glad she didn’t give much thought the first time he kissed her after a performance, although he hadn’t stopped thinking about the kiss for a full week. Or the time he pecked her during a rehearsal. Jasper had expected to be punched or kicked out of the team, instead, she had hugged him so tightly. _Did she enjoy it?_ The question lingered for so long until he had to push the emotions aside.

Jasper told himself it was all the heat and excitement of the moments and never gave it much thought. But their connection the night before, it was beyond anything he could push away.

They had done it several times, just dancing away to decompress, to relax, and be _free_ in their creativity. But last night both of them had felt differently.

And yet, none of them said a word about it.

Their day went by as usual. Practice off the rink, choreography rehearsal, rink time, lunch, yoga and pilates, ice routine, technical run-through, and some more choreography. It was way past eight at night when they stepped out the ice on that Friday, chatting about weekend plans—the only two days they practiced for eight hours instead of twelve.

“Rose actually set up a blind date for me tomorrow.” The information made Jasper’s face drop—how come his sister had betrayed him so bluntly? The fact he didn’t act on his crush on Alice was one thing but for his sister to set her up was straight up twin betrayal.

“Oh. Ah, that’s nice.” Unsure how to react, he cleared his throat and tried what was a clearly fake smile. “Excited?”

Her face contorting gave him _some_ reassurance, but the idea of her going out with another guy still terrified the man. What was he to do if he was terrified of asking her out and ruining how well they floated in the ice? Breaking their tune could cost them the gold in the upcoming Olympics. But what was more important really—the win or Alice?

“Not really, no. I think those are _so_ unnecessary.” She collected her bag from the bench as they strolled side by side to the locker rooms. “I feel like I’ll swing by to ditch the guy and head back home.”

“You never know, you might like what you see.” Jasper kicked himself for giving this ridiculous idea of any encouragement. Even Alice gave him a weird frown.

“I don’t know, I’m just not that interested.” The way she shrugged and bit her lower lip told Jasper there was definitely more to that sentence than just the words said out loud.

“No time?”

Alice sighed, shaking her head, “Got my focus elsewhere.”

“The ice.” He said too quickly, regretting the very minute he saw the hope in her eyes fade.

“Mhmhm,” She turned on her ankles then, making her way to the girl’s locker room while he stood there like a helpless idiot.

“Hey, Alice. You wanna go grab a bite?”

She smiled over her shoulder, halting in her walk, “I’m kinda tired, actually. I think I’ll head home.”

“Oh, yeah, yeah. Sure.” The sudden rejection and distancing made him nervous, too insecure to push further. When he didn’t, Alice smiled and went on her way.

“See you tomorrow, Jazz.”

They normally went home together, but there had been enough hint to him that she wanted time on her own. He stood there for too long, trying to figure out how he could mess up something so badly.

* * *

Saturday night he got a call from Alice when he was about to head to bed. It wasn’t usual that she would be calling him so far into the night so it had to be something serious.

“Alice?”

“ _Hey, uh, sorry to be calling!_ ” The minute he heard her rushed voice, Jasper knew she was drunk. Especially with the hiccup that came with the first sentence. “ _Did I wake you?_ ”

“No, I was still awake.”

“ _Gosh, this is so embarrassing! I may have had a little too much to drink and the people at the bar won’t let me drive… I’m_ so _sorry, Jazz. I didn’t know who else to call… But can you pick me up here? I’ll totally,_ totally _uh, pay for the Uber._ ” She rushed through it and Jasper was already up looking for his clothes.

“Yeah, it’s fine. Where are you at?”

He was there in less than half an hour and the bartender pointed to the sleepy figure on one of the booths. She was lying on her arms over the table and Jasper was told by the guy pouring the drinks just how much she had. Apparently, her date had ditched her and she was ranting how she’d never really find anyone because not even a blind date showed up when she had decided to get over the workmate she liked.

That got Jasper on a spiral. Was he the workmate? Who else could it be? Their coach was a woman, their choreographer was also his sister so really, _who else_ could it be if not him?

The idea of Alice liking him lit up a sublime happiness but the fact he’d been so blind to it to the point she’d be in such a state really put it into perspective. He had a lot to make up to her.

Jasper took her to her apartment—they always had each other’s keys in case of emergency—got her tucked in bed and stood beside her holding her hair and the bucket when she woke up in the middle of the night to puke. He barely closed his eyes all night, sitting on the little sofa by her bed to make sure she would be alright.

In the morning he called Esme to say they would be late while Alice stepped into the shower, and then he called Rosalie.

“ _Why the fuck didn’t you pick up my calls last night?_ ” She answered absolutely vile and Jasper felt suddenly attacked because he was the one supposed to be fighting her.

“Well, for one, I was busy.”

“ _You promised you’d meet me up last night, you fucking didn’t, Jasper._ ” He had set out to meet with his sister but he ghosted her instead, the blind date thing for Alice having upset him more than he cared to admit.

“I wanted to stay home. Plus I was mad with you.” He admitted quietly looking over his shoulder for a second, trying to make sure Alice wasn’t around to hear what he was about to admit soon.

“ _Is this about Alice’s blind date?_ ” He was silent but then he hummed in response. “ _Guess what, you idiot, I wasn’t going to show up last night._ You _were supposed to be her blind date._ ”

“I was her blind date? What the hell, Rosalie?”

“What?” The female voice behind him startled Jasper and he turned around to face Alice.

“ _Is that Alice? Are you with her? What happened?_ ”

Rosalie’s rant was inaudible to Jasper, but he managed to mumble, “Gotta go” to her before turning off the call.

“Rosalie was setting me up with you?” Alice gaped him with blinking eyes.

“It seems that was her brilliantly unplanned scheme.” The redness set across his skin in what was the most adorable shade. Alice was unmoved as if she was trying to put the pieces together still.

“Why?”

How to explain she was all he talked about to his sister? How could he tell her for the past years he had kept secret of his feelings toward her? He barely knew how to tell himself those truths, how was he expected now to voice them to the woman whom he felt so strongly about? Could he?

“Beats me.” There was sheer disappointment in her eyes and it was a sight he couldn’t live with.

Alice looked down, unable to process that, despite her best hopes, Jasper really did not like her.

When she went to the bar to ditch the date, only to find she had been ditched instead, she decided to grab a drink—that turned into one too many. Jasper had been on her mind throughout the entire night and she thought about calling him endless times. When she was forced to do so though, she was far too drunk already and it was dreadful to think he had to see her in such a state.

It was endearing how he took her home and helped her through the horrible hangover night. She had been planning, while in the shower, to tell him how she really felt. Then when she walked into that conversation Alice accidentally eavesdropped, her hopes had been high that Rosalie went through such trouble because she knew things about Jasper that Alice was uncertain.

Hearing him deflect the possibility assured the skater that it was all in her mind. She might like, even love that man for years now, but it was in her face that he didn’t feel the same.

It was hard for her to hide the sadness, Alice was always so transparent when it came to Jasper.

“Alice— I—“ She interrupted when he tried to make his amends though.

“Hey, it’s fine, we both know how Rose can be…” Her smile was small and for the first time in years, she wished that she didn’t have to skate with him, just so she could be alone for a while. “Anyway, we gotta go. Esme will be mad we’re late.”

“I called her up already about it.” He said quickly and Alice nodded.

“Thanks. We should not abuse it though.” Their coach was indeed the nicest person there was out there, but getting off the subject would really help Alice out with her emotions.

She took the hungover medicine he’d separated for her and nibbled on as much food as she could stomach before they headed out to boil in their emotions all over again.

* * *

“What is going on, guys? You’ve been off all week…” Esme told them on Thursday, at the end of practice. She was overwhelmingly tired of how off her champions had been the entire week.

“I’m sorry, Esme.” Was all Alice could utter. How was she to explain that something between her and Jasper felt broken?

“It’s my fault. I’ve been worried all week, it’s throwing us off.” He took the blame for Alice’s skittish behavior and she couldn’t place _why_ he was doing that when it had been her avoiding him during the past days.

“Well, get your head in the game, Jasper.” It was rare for them to see her so distressed, so they knew with certainty that something had to be done about how they were acting with each other.

The weeks that followed felt easier as they chose to focus on work. Esme was building them up for the Olympics in six months and both were so fully aware of how they had to up their game until then, so all unsaid feelings were yet again pushed aside for the sake of their work.

* * *

It wasn’t so much that Alice didn’t feel ready for the Olympics, they had been practicing for the past years for it, intensely during the last nine months and even more so the past six when all went down on a weird curve with Jasper. It was that uneasiness between them that was making her feel anxious and uncertain of their performance. What if they didn’t give all they had? What if she was holding her best show because she didn’t want to be involved and hurt anymore?

Rosalie came to tell her they were fifteen minutes away and Alice had to force her mind out of the unsaid things she had. Their momentum was now and the woman had to focus on the medal, the gold they had to bring home to make their family, friends, and their entire country proud.

How foolish it felt when she knew that success would bring her no joy if she and Jasper kept stepping on eggs around each other?

Their magnetism had been so broken lately she wondered if it would ever be fixed, if they would ever be able to fall back into the friendship they so strongly shared. The thing was, Alice didn’t know if she wanted to be friends with Jasper anymore. No, she wanted _so much more_ from him.

The little knock startled her from overthinking things and Alice smiled at Jasper over the mirror.

“How are you doing?” He closed the door behind himself and stood there like the awkward dork he could be outside the rink. Alice definitely wasn’t on the same page as him, she was not interested in being his friend anymore, she wanted Jasper to be hers, but thought unfortunately for herself that he didn’t feel the same.

“A little tense.” She confessed, adjusting herself on her seat before she eyed the mirror again to finish her makeup.

“Don’t be, we rehearsed like crazy, we got all the steps.” Jasper’s reassurances did her no good when she was more worried about other matters. She watched as he walked up to lean against her makeup table so he could really face her and not her reflection.

“Yeah, but what about the emotion?” Her eyes darted away from his approach as Alice forced herself to focus on the goddamn mascara.

“What about it?”

“I just feel we’re not really there yet.”

“Why aren’t you looking at me, Alice?” Alice told herself this wasn’t a conversation for now, but the minute her eyes landed on him, her heart screamed she’d run the opposite direction to any rational thought.

“I am.”

There was no truth to her words and Jasper didn’t need to be an expert to know she was hiding something. But who was he to judge when he had been hiding his love and admiration for that woman for so long now? He opened his mouth to argue that she was avoiding him, but nothing came out.

He also had been avoiding her for the past six months, ditching their morning coffee breaks, their lunches together and even the drink after work. Hell, he had missed her _so fucking much_. Spending time with Alice had been the best part of his years since joining the National team and he couldn’t believe his lack of gut broke that incredible bond they had.

Jasper fully blamed himself for letting his thoughts get the best of him, for not having the gut to actually tell her how he felt that day, and just let their routine fall into awkwardness and practices. He dreaded when they were off the ice, but inside the rink, while they danced, it still felt as if they were them—the old them, before all the nonsense.

So if there was one thing he didn’t doubt was that they would be incredible tonight.

“I think it’s going to be epic, you have to trust it, us.” He tried to reassure like he always did when Alice was insecure and they would talk about it—something that hadn’t been happening much lately.

“How can you be so sure?”

Jasper smiled, “For one we’ve been practicing for ages, we know how to tune into each other well in the rink.”

“ _Well_ won’t cut it… This is the Olympics.”

“I know, we were here four years ago, remember?” He knew that was her point exactly, as the last time they hadn’t gone home with the said medal. “But we grew, we learned from our mistakes, we fixed, and we’re going to be a lot better.”

Jasper, like Alice, trusted the rehearsals and the routine they had now but he was uncertain how well it would do in the rink if they had all these boundaries between them now.

“Are we though?” He hears the sorrow in her voice with such ease it almost hurts him, physically. In an instinctive movement, tired of that unsettling feeling in the pitch of his stomach, he reached for her hand.

This was it. He was going to do it now. Jasper wasn’t going to wait for when it was proper or not, he was going to tell her _now_ how much he loved her.

“Five to go, dears! Let’s head to the rink.” Esme came through the door as Jasper had his mouth open to voice the words he so expectedly had been waiting to say.

It startled them both in their anticipation and the blonde nearly jumped up. Alice was slower to get up, letting go of his hand only to rise from her seat. She was quick to take it again into hers, drawing Jasper’s eyes to her.

Somehow, they knew then, with that single gaze, that their performance would be alright.

There was a lot of silence as they headed to the rink, except for Esme reminding them of little things and reassuring them of the work they had done since the last Olympics. Once they were face to face on the ice, there was nothing else but them and the song that involved their every movement.

Alice moved like a floating angel, speeding through the arena with Jasper skating right behind her, each of their movements a perfect match of a passionate dance. They spun and twirled to the sound of the tango, the passion of the song, and all their repressed feelings building on their performance all the tension that the melody demanded.

In every abrupt turn, every dip and pull, all timed their faces landed dangerously close, the audience’s and their hearts took high leaps.

Jasper’s hand traveling down her thigh and raising her leg up before a lift, the way his eyes were so focused and intense on her, and how he always had that steady grip of her waist all leaving her breathless.

Every single gasp from her lips, that only Jasper could hear over the music, all the jumps she landed beautifully only to skate back into his arms, and every time her lips would just barely brush close to him brought Jasper on an edge neither of them had dimension of.

The melody faded into the romantic tune from Moulin Rouge and they skated less dangerously but the intention and the emotion had been built up to such a strong connection, they looked like two soulmates moving in one single body. It was like a magnificent lovemaking, erupting into the final string of the song when they landed a turn into each other’s arms and, like magnets again, their lips connected into a passionate kiss.

* * *

Past the incredibly loud cheering from the audience, both their shock with the intensity from the kiss—followed by Esme’s puzzled gazes outside the rink. Past results and the cheering for being first on the leading board, Alice and Jasper found themselves sitting again in her dressing room, this time on the couch, hands joined once more.

“I think we should really talk about that kiss.” She broke the silence of torturous minutes that had settled between them.

Jasper nodded, he thought about apologizing for it but then the flash of courage that had struck before Esme interrupted them seemed to regain full power all of the sudden, with the sight of her eyes.

“I’ve been wanting to do it for the longest time, though I can agree there might not have been the most appropriate place to do that.” Alice was taken that he had actually said he _wanted_ to kiss her, and for a long time as well.

“I don’t care that you kissed me there. I— Didn’t know you _wanted_ to kiss me.” There was still clear shock in her expression and Jasper was uncertain whether that was a good or a bad sign.

“If this is a problem, I understand. I—“

Alice was quick to interrupt as her confused expression melted into a smile. “Rosalie was right.”

“Huh?”

“We’re two fools.” It all became too clear in just a second, how all the suppressed emotions and feelings were, in fact, shared.

Like they had done in the rink, her mouth found his again into a deliciously slow dive. Time felt forever frozen and hearts felt no longer broken.

They might still be fools, but at least now they were together.


End file.
